Alcoholism is a chronic, relapsing disorder characterized by uncontrolled alcohol use despite adverse consequences. It involves physiological dependence and psychological craving, with significant health, social, and functional impairments. Diagnosis and treatment consider withdrawal risk, withdrawal severity, and patterns of drinking, but it is broadly recognized as a medical condition requiring intervention.
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- You may tilt the stress to 2nd syllable; fix by keeping stress on the 3rd syllable: /ˌæl.kəˈhɒ.lɪ.zəm/. - Slurring the middle vowels into a single schwa; practice with a deliberate beat: /ˌæl.kəˈhɒl-ɪ-zəm/. - Final consonant assimilation: avoid turning /zəm/ into /z/ or /zm/; keep /zə m/ with a soft, unreduced final syllable. - Ensure the /h/ is an audible stop after /kə/; do not skip it in fast speech. - Relying on American -izm like British -zm; maintain consistent American -zəm or British -zm.
- US: emphasize rhotic tendency and clear /z/; /ɒ/ is often realized as a rounded back vowel; keep final /zəm/ distinct. - UK: non-rhotic tendency, slight reduction of /ɒ/ to a rounded, low back vowel; final /zm/ may be realized as /zəm/ or /zm/. - AU: tends toward Australian vowel width similar to UK with slightly flatter /ɒ/; final /zəm/ tends to be pronounced with a slightly longer vowel before m. IPA references: /ˌæl.kəˈhɒl.ɪ.zəm/ US, /ˌæl.kəˈhɒl.ɪ.zəm/ UK/AU, depending on speaker.
"Her brother struggled with alcoholism and sought treatment after years of denial."
"Public health campaigns aim to reduce stigma surrounding alcoholism and encourage early support."
"She documented her experiences with alcoholism in a memoir to raise awareness."
"Hospitals provide detox programs and counseling for patients with alcoholism to prevent relapse."
Alcoholism derives from alcohol, from the Arabic al-kuhl via the Medieval Latin alkohola, combined with the suffix -ism from Greek -ismos, indicating a belief, practice, or condition. The term appears in English by the late 19th to early 20th century, aligning with rising medical interest in substance-related disorders. Initially used in general discussions of problem drinking, it later evolved into formal medical terminology as psychiatry and addiction medicine developed. The word’s stem reflects the substance ethanol, while the -ism conveys a chronic condition or state; however, contemporary clinical terms often use alcohol use disorder to emphasize a health framework rather than moral judgment. First known uses appear in medical and psychiatric literature around the 1900s, with standardized diagnostic categories emerging in subsequent decades. The morphological components align with other -ism words indicating conditions (e.g., alcoholism, realism, capitalism), but the usage in medical texts specifically positions alcoholism within addiction pathways, withdrawal syndromes, and treatment modalities. The term’s cultural reception has oscillated between clinical framing and social stigma, prompting ongoing efforts to reframe it toward compassionate, evidence-based care.
💡 Etymology tip: Understanding word origins can help you remember pronunciation patterns and recognize related words in the same language family.
Help others use "alcoholism" correctly by contributing grammar tips, common mistakes, and context guidance.
💡 These words have similar meanings to "alcoholism" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "alcoholism" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "alcoholism"
-ism sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
🎵 Rhyme tip: Practicing with rhyming words helps you master similar sound patterns and improves your overall pronunciation accuracy.
Pronounce as /ˌæl.kəˈhɒ.lɪ.zəm/ (US) or /ˌæl.kəˈhɒ.lɪ.zm/ (UK). The primary stress is on the third syllable (hɒ), with secondary stress on the first syllable. Start with a light schwa in the second syllable, then a short, crisp “höl” in the third, followed by a light “-iz-” and a soft final “em” or “m” depending on accent. Tip: keep the first syllable short and the third syllable robust to preserve intelligibility.
Common errors: 1) Misplacing stress on the second or fourth syllable; 2) Slurring the -lis- into -li- causing /lɪz/ vs /lɪz/ confusion; 3) Pronouncing the final -ism as a full -izm with an extra syllable or converting to -zm. Correction: practice the tress on the third syllable: /ˌæl.kəˈhɒ.lɪ.zəm/; ensure /ˈhɒl/ is a short, crisp syllable and the -z- is voiced clearly before the final schwa or mute final.
US: /ˌæl.kəˈhɒl.ɪ.zəm/ with rhotic r-less or rhotic depending on speaker; UK: /ˌæl.kəˈhɒ.lɪ.zm/ with more rounded /ɒ/ and a lighter final /m/; AU: /ˌæl.kəˈhɒ.lɪ.zəm/ similar to US but with non-rhotic tendencies and slightly more clipped final syllables. Across accents, the central vowels and the /z/ are consistent, but the final consonant may be realized as a syllabic /m/ or standard /m/, and the second syllable may reduce to /kə/ or /kə/ with a schwa.
The difficulty lies in the cluster /ˌæl.kəˈhɒ.lɪ.zəm/ with three syllables after the initial two, a stressed vowel in the third position, and a voiced alveolar fricative /z/ followed by an unstressed schwa. The sequence /ˈhɒlɪ/ requires precise short vowels and a clear /l/ transition, while the final /zəm/ can be reduced in fast speech. Additionally, non-native speakers may misplace stress or blend /ˈhɒl/ and /lɪ/ into a single syllable.
Does the presence of the /l/ cluster and the /h/ onset of the /hɒl/ syllable create a danger of splicing the words 'alco' and 'holism' in fast speech? Answer: No, maintain explicit segment boundaries: /ˌæl.kəˈhɒ.lɪ.zəm/. Focus on crisp /l/ before /h/ and a clear /z/ before the final /əm/.
🗣️ Voice search tip: These questions are optimized for voice search. Try asking your voice assistant any of these questions about "alcoholism"!
- Shadowing: listen to a 20-30 second clip and repeat: focus on accurate stress on -hɒl-; copy the rhythm for 3-4 minutes. - Minimal pairs: test contrasting /hɒl/ vs /hɒl/; examples: alcoholism vs alcolism (not an English pair); better: /ˌæl.kəˈhɒl/ vs /ˌæl.kəˈhɒl/; - Rhythm: practice 4-beat meter for the word within a sentence; - Stress: ensure primary stress on the third syllable; - Recording: record yourself saying the word in a sentence; compare to a native speaker's sample and adjust.
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